What Could Have Been
by Asj Johnson
Summary: Ed follows a guy into an alley. The guy does some type of weird alchemy and now Ed's in another dimension. A dimension where his mother never died. Ed realizes that his Al is still waiting for him in his own dimension and goes searching for a way back.
1. The Gateway

**Fullmetal Alchemist doesn't belong to me. In fact, I just discovered the anime a little while before I started this story.**

**It takes place somewhat early on in the anime - around episode 15 or so, right after Ed and Al get repaired. (I didn't have a time in mind when I first wrote it - but I did think it'd take place sooner on - but after watching several episodes for the second time, I thought it'd make the most sense, and therefore added some things in to tie it to the time.) It's now planned to be a part of a trilogy, so I thought it needed a little revision. I didn't revise much, though. I kept all the stuff in that I got off the top of my head - except for putting Mustang in Eastern and Hughes in Central, because I think that's how it was...**

**Chapter One: The Gateway**

Staring up at the stars in the night sky, Ed let out a sigh.

"What is it, brother?" Al asked.

"Nothing..." Ed replied. He was lying on the ground with his arms behind his head. The large suit of armor of a brother lying beside him, his head turned toward Ed.

"You sure?" Al asked skeptically. Ed chewed on his lower lip and Al knew he wasn't telling the truth. "Tell me, brother. What's on your mind?"

"Guess I can't keep anything from _you_, Al," Ed said with a slight smile, but his smile faded as he said, "I was just thinking... about what it would have been like if..."

"If what..?" Al prompted after his brother trailed off.

"If... our mother didn't die," Ed finished and clenched his gloved hands, ashamed he was thinking about it. Thinking about the unchangeable past, when he should be looking toward the future, trying to make things right instead of just wishing for what couldn't have been. But, for the first time in four years he was back in Risembool and he just couldn't help wonder... How different would life have been? He probably wouldn't have became a State Alchemist, for one. And Al wouldn't have to live the way he does... He wouldn't feel guilty for what he's done to bring back his mother... For what he did to his brother.

"If Mom didn't die, I'd still be a human, Ed," Al said enthusiastically. "I'd be able to feel the ground, to smell the flowers. How wonderful that would have been!"

Ed didn't say anything as tears threatened to fall. He clenched his teeth.

"We wouldn't have to be searching for the philosopher's stone, either!" Al realized. "We would have been so happy..."

Ed blew up. "Al, stop thinking about what could have been!" he yelled, bolting to a sitting position. Al sat up and pulled his legs to his chest, sorry he had said what he had. "It can't happen! I never should have mentioned it! I don't know why I was thinking about it at all!" Ed said, his voice beginning to tremble.

"I-I'm sorry brother... I just thought it was a nice thought..."

Ed looked up at Al and his eyes softened. "I'm sorry Al... It's just... it's not practical to think about the past..." Al didn't respond. "We'll get the philosopher's stone and restore your body. I promise."

"I _know_ we will," Al replied.

* * *

The next day was bright and sunny. There were a few streaks of clouds in the sky, but they didn't threaten rain. Ed, Al, and Armstrong just got off the train at Central, when they saw someone running across the road up ahead. The guy briefly looked behind him, as though someone was chasing him.

"Hey!" Ed called. The person glanced at Ed, but kept running. Ed began to run after him down an alley and Al followed. "Hey, you!" Ed called again. The person knocked a barrel in the road, but Ed jumped over it, determined to find out whom the person was and why he was running. The man turned right, down another street. Ed skidded to a stop in time to follow.

A smirk came to Ed's face. "No where to run, now," he said triumphantly as a dead end appeared up ahead. A circle on the person's palms lit up as he pushed his hands against the stone wall. The wall glowed pink and he jumped through it as though it wasn't there. Ed was right behind him and jumped through as well.

"Ed!" Al called, but when he and Armstrong reached the alley, his brother was nowhere in sight and the road had dead ended. He glanced around, but couldn't figure out where the two of them went.

"Don't worry! I'll find your brother if I have to upturn every building in this city!" Armstrong said.

"Uh... I hope that won't be necessary..." Al said.

* * *

Ed followed the man down another street, but then lost him. The young alchemist looked around. "Oh, great," Ed mumbled. "This is just _great_!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. "Not only did I lose him - I can't figure out where I am!"

Ed tried going back the way he came, calling his brother's name. He was able to find his way back to the familiar side of town, but couldn't seem to find Al. He figured that he'd see if anyone knew about that guy they'd been chasing. Maybe Al already had that idea and would be waiting for him at HQ.

"I'm sorry kid, but I can't let you pass," someone said.

"_What_?!" Ed demanded. "Don't you know who I _am_?! I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist!"

"_Who_? Look kid, you're too young to be a state alchemist. You aren't even old enough to take the entrance test."

Ed smirked. "Heh. Then how do you explain _this_?"

The uniformed man looked at the silver pocket watch that was thrust in his face. "Wha...?" he uttered in surprise.

"Now... Let me inside."

--End Chapter--

**My original chapter notes**:

I saw my first episode of this anime about four days ago, on Saturday. I've seen pictures of it online before, but I didn't know it was so interesting... My brother taped a lot of episodes, so I got to watch them when I've been visiting my mom for the past few days.

I felt like writing about it, so... this came to mind. Hope someone likes it... It was going to be a short story, but I didn't actually get to the beginning yet, so... Guess it'll be more than a chapter long. At least three... Perhaps quiet a few... Depending...

If I got anything wrong, I hope someone tells me.


	2. Edward Who?

**Chapter Two: Edward Who?**

"Elicia has been such a handful lately, but she's so cute!" Hughes said into the phone. He looked up as Ed entered the room.

"Sorry to interrupt, Lieutenant Colonel, but I was wondering if you knew anything about a guy I saw running down a street a few minutes ago."

Hughes looked the boy up and down. Blond hair that was braided in the back, light brown eyes, short, wearing red and black clothing and white gloves. The teen _did_ seem familiar somehow. "...Do I know you?" he asked.

"Of course you know me! We've known each other for years!" Ed said exasperatedly. "Wait... Does this ring any bells?" he asked with a smirk, raising his jacket sleeve to expose his automail arm.

"Not really."

Ed fell over backward in shock. Jumping back up, he exclaimed, "Does everyone have amnesia or something?! I'm Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist! I have been a State Alchemist for years! This watch proves it!"

"He claims to be a State Alchemist. He has the pocket watch," Hughes said into the phone with a shrug.

In Eastern, Mustang replied with, "A watch, huh..."

"Do you think it could be a fake, Sir?" Hawkeye whispered to Mustang. Mustang relayed the message to Hughes.

Back at Eastern, Hughes said, "I don't know. How can you tell whether or not it's a fake?"

"A fake?!" Ed yelled.

"If you don't calm down, I'll be forced to call security," Hughes said. Ed stopped yelling.

"Er... Could you at least tell me if you've seen my brother anywhere? Tall guy, suit of armor..."

"You can ask around, but I'm sure we haven't."

* * *

"Did you find anything on this Elric kid?" Mustang asked over the phone about an hour later.

"Not much. He lives in Resembool with his mother and brother. That's about it," Hughes said.

"Hmm..." Mustang said in reply. He widened his eyes a little as he mumbled, "Wait... Edward Elric... Get him back. I'd like to talk to him."

"Yes, sir."

A little later, Ed was handed the phone. "So you finally remember me, huh? I _knew_ I wasn't crazy!" Ed said with a wide smile.

"Years ago, I was in charge of searching for your father. During my search, I found several letters that you had written to him."

"Oh give me a break..." Ed said under his breath. "Yeah... You found some letters I'd written, gone to my house, and told me that I could become a state Alchemist. So I did. And now you act as though we've never met! What's wrong with you?!"

"I never went to your house. I thought it was a dead end," Mustang explained.

"But, of course you did! Don't you remember?! You arrived right after we tried bringing our mother back!"

"What?" Mustang asked in surprise.

"Uh... Forget I said that..." Ed said, realizing that it may not be the best idea to let them know that if they don't remember him. "But, I don't believe your story. You did go there, didn't you? - To see the Rockbells." Mustang widened his eyes, but didn't say anything. Ed glanced toward Hughes, getting an idea. "Hey, Mustang. I may know a way to prove to you I am who I say I am. What would you say if I could tell you the date Hughes' daughter was born? The weather on that winter day?"

"Wha?" Hughes said in surprise.

"I was there," Ed told Mustang. "Gracia went into labor during a blizzard and he went on foot to try to find a doctor for her."

* * *

The train ride over was mainly quiet. Ed thought about what Mustang told him earlier.

_"Years ago, there was some research done on a way to travel through dimensions with alchemy. Until now, it seemed like a myth. Like the philosopher's stone."_

_"What?! My brother and I are searching for that stone! We're going to find it, you here me?!"_

Ed clenched his right hand as he thought, _'Finding Marcoh's book can wait for now. I need to know for my self... Could my mother really be alive? Mustang said she was in this dimension... But, even if she is, can I face her?'_

--End Chapter--

Wow... The only one I don't have original notes for. I hate to dirty up the only clean chapter, but I thought it was important to mention that I added in several things in here: I originally had Mustang and Ed talking face-to-face (Hawkeye standing beside Mustang), when Hughes came in with photographs to show to Mustang, then being shooed away, trying to show Ed, and when Hughes begins to mention his daughter's age, Ed finishes his sentence. I also added in that comment about Mustang going to Risembool to visit the Rockbells, after picking up on that little almost-fact in a episode. - Ed was wondering if Mustang really came to his town that night because of his father, or not, since Ed had just found out about Mustang being partially responsible for Winry's parents' death. If that's true, then I could have had Mustang just not go there, right? (I wonder if there'll be more in the anime about that later or not... Hope I don't turn out to be wrong...)


	3. Home Sweet Home

**Chapter Three: Home Sweet Home**

As Ed walked over a hill, he saw his old house in the distance. He stopped to stare at it. _'It's... our house... But we burned it down...'_ Ed heard laugher and noticed a boy coming out of the house. The boy stopped when he noticed Ed.

"B-Brother...?"

"Al..." Ed whispered in surprise.

"But, how...? You... You were going to go to the store for mom... Did you forget something?"

"Wha...?" Ed muttered before remembering that Mustang had told him this was another dimension. "Oh... No. I didn't forget anything. Actually... You're not gonna believe this, Al, but... I'm not from this dimension."

"What do you mean, brother?"

"Well... I was chasing this guy and he used some type of alchemy on a wall and jumped through. I followed and found myself here - in an alternate reality."

"But, how do you know this _isn't_ your dimension?"

"Al... In my dimension, our mother died," Ed told him and looked away.

"Oh..." Al said as he widened his eyes in shock. After a moment, he said, "So... I guess you'd like to see mom again."

A nightmarish image flashed through Ed's mind as he thought of the last time he tried to see his mother again. Al didn't seem to notice anything, as he grabbed his alternate brother's hand.

"Mom! Guess who's here!" Al called as he came into the house.

"Hm?" she wondered as she turned to look. "Ed? Did you forget something?" Ed could only stare at her, dumbfounded.

"No, he didn't forget anything," Al answered for him.

"Hmm... Something's different about you, Ed..." his mother said as she studied him.

"M-Mom... It's really you..." Ed said with tears in his eyes as he went to hug her.

"Of course it's me... Who else would it be?"

"Uh..." Al said as he tried to think of the words to explain. "He's... Not from here."

* * *

Edward snorted. "He can't be me," he said, gesturing toward Ed. "If he were, we would be the same height."

"What?! Who are you calling short?!" Ed yelled.

"Well... He _is_ a couple inches taller than you..." Al said as he studied his two brothers.

"Wait..." Edward said, noticing something. "That chain... Does that mean you're a state alchemist?"

Ed nodded, taking out his pocket watch to show himself.

"You better not let Winry see that. After what the state did to her parents... she won't stay in the same building with a State Alchemist," Al said.

"Huh? But, Winry helps take care of me..." Ed said.

"Take care of you?"

"Yeah... Whenever I mess up my arm, I go to her for repairs," Ed said, lifting up his sleeve to show his metal arm.

The Elrics widen their eyes. "Automail... When did that happen?" Al asked.

Ed hesitated. "...In an alchemy experiment that went wrong."

"I guess that could explain it... That metal might be what's weighing you down," Edward pondered.

"I am _not_ short!" Ed yelled.

Al snickered a little before saying, "Well, Winry may have done that in _your_ dimension, brother, but this is _our_ Winry..."

"I guess you're right, Al... I wonder what _else_ is different."

--End Chapter--

**My original Chapter Notes:**

Hmm... I ran out of ideas. Heh... Anyone else have any? I did think of another interesting idea for a fanfic, though: Ed wakes up in a hospital to find out that it's about a hundred years in the future and he's in Tokyo, Japan.


	4. Homesickness

**Chapter Four: Homesickness**

_"Brother... Where are you?" a boy's voice sadly said._

_"Al?" Ed asked. He ran to the door of his house, and when opening the door, sawf his brother sitting at a table with his mother, smiling brightly. His worried look turned to one of confusion. Didn't his brother just call out to him?_

_"Ed, what's wrong?" Al asked, noticing him standing in the doorway._

_Ed gasped in surprise, realizing that he was staring. "Nothing."_

_"You sure?" Edward asked, appearing in another doorway._

_"Brother, how could you leave me alone?"_

_"Y-yeah," Ed replied. A vision of metal armor flashed through Ed's mind. "What happened to our search for the philosopher's stone? You promised to return me to my body, brother."_

_Their mother ran over to Ed. "You look pale, are you feeling okay?" she asked as she felt his forehead._

_"I... don't belong here..."_

Ed woke up gasping for air.

* * *

"You're _leaving_? Already?" Al asked.

"I have to... I made a promise to my _own_ Al."

"Do you have _any_ idea of how to get back?" Edward (as Ed has been calling him in his mind) asked.

"Uh... I guess I'll try looking in the Central library to see if there's anything I can find."

"I'm going with you," Edward stated.

"But-"

"Look. There's been news about this guy killing alchemists in Central. You're like a twin brother to me, so I have to look out for you, right?"

"Uh..."

"You're going to Central?" their mother asked worriedly as she entered the room.

"I'll be fine! I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist, after all!" Ed asserted. "Besides, he was last seen at Eastern, so there shouldn't be anything to worry about."

"I would still feel better if you two went together... I'm sure your own mother would feel the same way, am I right?"

"Um..." Ed said, not really wanting to tell her about his mother.

"I'll go, too," Al said.

"No. It's too dangerous, Al. I'm older and more skilled in alchemy," Edward said. Al had to agree. Even though he had been practicing, he knew Edward was better.

* * *

"Wait!" their mother called from the doorway. The two Eds turned toward the house, where Trisha Elric was waving two paper bags. "I packed you boys a lunch."

Edward smiled embarrassedly. "Thanks, mom."

"Oh, and here," she said, holding up a cap. "People may get suspicious if they see two yous." Ed and Edward's clothing was pretty different - Ed with his usual red and black, and Edward with a t-shirt and jacket - but their faces and hair styles were the exact same, so the hat would help.

After taking the lunch and starting out again, Winry called out to them.

"Hey, Winry," Edward replied.

"Where are you two going so early?" she asked.

"We're heading to Central to see if we can find a way to send him home."

"But I didn't get a chance to take apart your arm, yet, Ed!" She said, running to Ed's side and grabbing his automail arm.

"Uh... I'd rather you didn't... You and your grandmother built it... Shouldn't you already know how it works?" Ed said as she swung his arm around.

"But I have to see how talented the other me is!" Winry insisted.

"Well, I'm sure you're just as talented..."

As she was examining his arm, she just happened to notice the watch chain Ed had. "...Is that... what I think it is...?" she asked, letting go of Ed's arm. Neither Ed said anything. "...How could you... How could you become a dog of the state!"

"I-It's not like that, Winry! I'm doing it for my brother!" Ed insisted.

"Al wanted you to become a State Alchemist?!" Winry yelled incredibly.

"No! - It's the only way we can find the Philosopher's stone so we can restore our bodies! Please Winry!" Ed pleaded. _'Isn't this the double of the girl that wanted to take my watch apart a few days ago in my dimension? ...I can't tell if she's different than my Winry or if it's just a mood swing.'_

Winry stopped yelling. "You mean, Al has automail, too?"

"Well... Not exactly..." Ed answered, looking away.

"You're going to tell me what happened to you two right _now_, Edward Elric!"

--End Chapter--

**My original chapter notes (bold words are new):**

Well, as you can see, I found some more inspiration. I figured that, if Ed leaves now, maybe I could have some things being different in Central... (or, at least one thing...)

Hope I got Winry somewhat in-character. I thought she might like Ed's arm and leg, after how she tried taking apart his watch in one episode. **(--Now that I've adjusted some things, that episode wasn't far from the story, and that time is mentioned in the chapter)**


	5. Arguing with a Full length Mirror

**Chapter Five: Arguing with a Full-length Mirror**

Ed and Edward were on the train to Central. Ed had the window seat and was staring out the window as he thought.

_"Al's _soul_ is trapped in a suit of armor?..." Winry asked wide-eyed._

_"So _that_ was the 'alchemy experiment that went wrong'... But, if you knew all of the components of the human body, why didn't it work? What happened to equivalent exchange?" Edward asked._

_"That's just it - it _wasn't_ equivalent... We realized that we were missing something - apparently something big, judging from what we had to pay."_

_"Now that you know that, you can find out what you were missing the first time and make it work, right?" His alternate self asked._

_"No! Don't you understand?! Human alchemy is prohibited for a reason!" Ed yelled, stealing the smile from his other self's face. "_Neither_ of us are going to try doing anything like that ever again! All my brother and I are going to do is find the philosopher's stone and get our bodies back."_

"Hey..." Ed said, turning toward Edward.

"Yeah?"

"You'll watch over mom, won't you? Make sure she's okay?"

"Of course, brother," Edward said with a smile.

"If... If that doesn't work, and she dies _here_ like she did in my world... Will you promise me that you won't try to bring her back?" Ed asked.

Edward thought for a moment. The question took him completely off guard. He loved his mom - could he live without her? What if _he_ could achieve where his other self failed? After all, he would be older and more experienced than this other Ed had been - having only been 10 or 11.

"Promise me!" Ed demanded, grabbing Edward's shirt with his concealed automail arm and yanking him off of his seat.

"Fine! I promise!" Edward said wide-eyed. Ed let go of his shirt and he fell back into his seat.

"My brother and I had to go through a lot because of our attempt and I don't want that to happen to you two. Understand?" Ed said with a harsh voice. Edward nodded.

* * *

After getting off the train, the two headed straight for the library. As they neared the building, however, Ed stopped walking. Edward turned around and noticed his face pale.

Ed stared as Shou Tucker and his daughter passed by them on the sidewalk.

_"When are you going to make another talking chimera?"_

_"It seems like everyone's asking me that..."_

_"Why does it hurt inside?"_

_Bead-like eyes flash through Ed's mind, and a charred outline followed close behind._

"What is it?" Edward asked, trying to figure out what Ed was staring at.

"...Isn't that Tucker? ...And Nina?"

"Who?" Edward asked, giving his double a puzzled look.

_'Oh... That's right... I never became a state alchemist in this universe... So I never stayed at his house or even met him...'_ Ed thought. "He's... Someone I used to know..." Ed watched as the two turned a corner and went out of view.

Frustrated, Edward said, "What's wrong with you?! You act as though you've just seen a ghost!"

"...I did..."

"Huh?" Edward asked, confused.

"In my dimension, that little girl is dead, and now I know it's all because of me!" Ed said, his voice beginning to crack. Edward didn't say anything. "He fused his little girl and his dog together to make a talking chimera, and now I see that he would never have done it if I wasn't there, urging him to do it! I was such an _idiot_ not to realize his plans! I heard about him creating a talking chimera in the past and I was fascinated by it! _Fascinated_ by it!" he repeated disgustedly. "I thought there was something odd about it, but I never thought he had used his own wife! ...I saw that girl after the attempt. I witnessed her pain!" Ed cried.

"Get over yourself!" Edward snapped.

Ed widened his eyes in surprise. "Huh?"

"You think the universe rotates around _us_?!" Edward demanded of his double. "Just because he did it in your dimension and not in mine doesn't mean you caused it to happen!"

"You don't understand!" Ed exclaimed. "Look - he had to choose between his house and Nina. If he didn't make another chimera, he wouldn't have passed his evaluation and they'd take away his funding. He couldn't decide which was worse, until I came into the picture and pushed him over the edge!"

Edward exploded with, "You're making me look like a big baby!" He just couldn't stand seeing his own face like that for another second. Surprised, Ed blinked away the tears that were threatening to fall. "How _selfish_ of you to think that our mother being alive was the only difference in our universes! I know I wasn't there to see your failed attempt at bringing her back, or to see that guy's crazy experiment, so I _don't_ understand everything you do and probably never _will_ - but, if that allows me to think more rationally, then I don't care! For all we know, that guy's wife may be at home right now - and it wouldn't have _anything_ to do with us. It would be because our universes are different, and nothing else!"

--End Chapter--

An alternate title thought of for this chapter was "The Center of the Universe" - but I ended up going with the current one - and actually, it kind'a ties in with the title I gave this story's sequel - which also had an alternate title at first. " How odd...

**My original chapter notes (bold words are new):**

Hmm... Maybe I went a little overboard with the Chimera thing. Has anyone else had images of that... thing... for days after seeing that "Cry of the Chimera" episode? That may have been the freakiest thing I've ever seen on TV. (or at least in the top five...) I mean, I thought he might have been lying about his wife, but to do _that_ was totally unexpected. Ed spent months with that little girl and her father! We got to know her! And then... suddenly, we see that animal, with it's long red mane and those little round eyes, and it repeats "Edward friend" after Tucker said it and then it says it hurts inside. It's like, the dog and her minds are merged and neither are operating at full capacity! (or... maybe it just effects me more than usual because I've had a little bit of a phobia of losing my identity...) But, when I saw Tucker again, and the other chimeras, they didn't freak me out at all.

Anyhow... I know I probably got some of those quotes wrong, but my brother has all the episodes at his place, so I can't look it up. **(--Now that I finally have the episodes on tape myself... I didn't think to check my quotes...)**


	6. Library Findings

**Chapter Six: Library Findings**

Ed and his double climbed the steps of the library.

"Hold it! Only state alchemists are allowed in here!" a woman said. Ed showed her his pocket watch and the woman blinked in surprise. "Wow... You're the shortest alchemists I've ever seen."

"We're not short!" both boys yelled simultaneously.

"Hey... Are you twins?" she asked with a smile. Edward pulled his cap farther over his face.

"Uh... Kind'a..." Ed said.

"I'm taller than he is," Edward triumphantly pointed out.

"No you're not!"

"I'm sorry I asked..." the woman muttered as she watched the scene.

After a few minutes, the two boys entered the library and went to a desk. "Give me anything you have on alternated realities," Ed told the librarian.

"Sorry, but that's confidential. You need special permission-"

"Call Mustang. He'll give me permission," Ed said.

"Who's Mustang?" Edward whispered to his double.

"The guy who explained to me that this wasn't my dimension," Ed whispered back. The woman talked on the phone for a few minutes before asking Skeska to find the requested material. She came back with a small manuscript.

"This is all we have," Skeska said as she handed the notebook to Ed.

"That's it?!" Ed exclaimed.

"Quiet! You're in a library, you idiot!" Edward yelled at Ed and elbowed him in the ribs.

"Apparently, there wasn't much research done on that topic," the woman said apologetically. She didn't say anything, but hoped the two of them wouldn't yell anymore. Ed sighed and walked toward a table to look at what he'd found. Edward followed him.

After about four minutes, Ed had read through the work twice and handed it to Edward. "I can't believe there isn't anything else here!"

Edward began to glance through the paperwork as he said, "There isn't _anything _in this that could help you?"

"Not that _I_ could tell," Ed replied. "I guess the only thing I can do is try to find that guy I had been chasing..."

"What guy?" Edward asked, looking up from the page he was on.

"Back in my dimension, I chased him into an alley and he opened some type of portal, I guess. He jumped through a wall and I followed. - That's how I got here."

"Oh, yeah... I think I remember you telling that story." Edward finished the manuscript and flipped it closed with a sigh. "It looks like it says that there's evidence of some type of substance that's able to create a dimensional rift, but that the results of the testing was inconclusive."

"Technical mumbo-jumbo," Ed mumbled, rolling his eyes. "All that means is that the substance can do _something_, but they can't control it, so they can't make it work."

"Well, it looks like _someone_ learned how to control it," Edward replied, referring to the man Ed had followed.

"Yeah... I wonder if he's even from _this_ dimension or not," Ed said.

"How many dimensions do you think there are?"

"I don't know. - At least two... Maybe thousands..."

"Well... I guess we should return this," Edward said, pointing at the manuscript, "and see if we can find that guy, if he's still _in_ this world."

_'I guess I might as well ask about Marcoh's research while I'm here...' _Ed thought.

As Edward stood to return the book, his eyes fell on the front cover of the document. He widened his eyes slightly and he pushed the notebook to Ed's side of the table. "Hey, isn't that the name of that guy you saw on the way here?"

"Huh?" Ed asked, looking at the cover. His eyes widened. "No way..." he breathed. He stared at the words 'Tucker, Shou' and decided, once again, that Marcoh's research could wait.

--End Chapter--

**My original chapter notes (bold words are new):**

Heh... I had no idea he was the author until it popped into my head at the end. But, now I have some ideas for the next chapter or two. (Hmm... Is it just me, or is there more talking and less happening in this chapter? Maybe next time that happens, I should make it longer...)

**(--It's _amazing_ how much that "Shou Tucker" author idea helped form a plot for this story! And even more amazing is what I found out when seeing the first several FMA episodes again! - Tucker did do research on the philosopher's stone. Ed found that out a little after the Nina incident, when he was ordered to sort out Tucker's stuff. The philosopher's stone isn't the same thing as the portal stuff, but it has something to do with it - which is why the portal was reddish - but I didn't think of that link until... Next chapter. Oh, and one more note: I added Sheska to the chapter, since I thought it would help me with the timeline at the end of the sequel - the sequel hasn't been finished as of yet. I have the seventh chapter up, and am planning on going through and seeing if anything needs adjustment like this one did.)**


	7. Charades, Part One

**Chapter Seven: Charades, Part One**

_"Do you know where he lives?" Edward asked._

_"Well... I know where he used to live, in my dimension... But, since he never made that last chimera, his funding would have been cut off and he wouldn't live there anymore. It's no use even checking at his house."_

_"What if our universes are different?! We should at least check and make sure!" Edward said._

The two Eds were staring at the mansion in front of them. A dog barked from the yard. "That's Alexander - Tucker's dog," Ed told his duplicate.

"I thought you said he wouldn't be living here anymore," Edward said with narrowed eyes.

"Uh... I guess I was wrong?" Ed said with an apologetic smile. Edward rolled his eyes and started walking toward the door. Ed followed, until he paused to pet the dog. Alexander pulled Ed's pocket watch out of his pocket.

"I guess you can play with it, this time..." Ed said with a smile and let the dog take it. He watched the dog for a few seconds before widening his eyes. "Hey! I didn't say you could _bury_ it!" he said and ran after the dog.

Tucker opened the front door to find a boy digging a hole in his yard. "May I help you?" he asked.

Edward was the one to answer him. "Uh... Yes. You experimented with dimensional travel... We were wondering if you could share your findings with us."

"Yes! I found it!" Ed shouted joyfully as he held up his mud-covered pocket watch. His gloves and knees were also muddy from the search. The smile faded from his face as he realized that Edward and Tucker were both staring at him. "Hey! Don't look at _me_! Alexander did it!" Ed said, pointing at the dog, who whimpered in reply.

"Come on in," Tucker said with a smile. He turned toward Ed to say, "I'm sorry about Alexander. I'll have your clothes cleaned as you wash up."

"May I ask why you were doing research on alternate worlds? I thought you were the Sewing Life Alchemist," Ed said on the way inside.

"I am, but I was partnering with two brothers by the name of Tringum and stumbled onto the odd properties of the substance we were working with. After our partnership ended, I thought I would go into those properties farther."

_'Russell and Fletcher?'_ Ed thought. _'So, would those two have gone to Tucker if they didn't have me and Al to impersonate...?'_

After Ed started his shower, Edward and Tucker sat down to talk.

"So... Are you two brothers?"

* * *

Ed looked around for Tucker and Edward as he re-braided his hair.

"We're in here, Al," Tucker called from a nearby room.

Ed paused. "Al...?" he wondered aloud.

"Yeah. I took the liberty to introduce ourselves while you were showering, brother," Edward said, giving Ed a look that said not to mess anything up. Ed glared at Edward as he took a seat close to the other two.

"_Thanks_, Ed," Ed hissed through clenched teeth.

"So... How old are you boys? 11? 12?" Tucker asked.

"_What_?!" both teens said in surprise.

"I'm 15!" Edward insisted.

"...And I'm... 16," Ed added. Edward widened his eyes.

"No you're not, _Al_! You're _14_, remember?" Edward said as he glared daggers at Ed.

"You two can stop the charade, now," Tucker said with an amused smile. The two boys stopped arguing and glanced toward Tucker. "_Both_ of you are Edward Elric, aren't you?" he asked.

"When did you find out?" Ed asked the man.

"When you called my dog by name," Tucker said with a grin. "I guess we know each other in another reality."

--End Chapter--

**My original chapter notes (bold words are new):**

Hmm... I actually already wrote the next chapter, as well, but I don't think I'll put it up just yet. - It's a little dark... Maybe I should change the rating of this story to T... (I thought that I wouldn't have anything dark in any of my FMA fanfictions, since the series is already so dark, but I guess I was wrong.)

Eh... I started this fanfic thinking I'd have it take place before Mustang moved to Eastern, but now I can't remember what episodes came before that move, so I'm not sure if everything will be canonish or not. (Although, Tucker working with alternate dimensions probably isn't canon, anyhow. But, I figured that if those Tringum brothers worked with red water, when - according to Wikipedia - they work with plant life, then Tucker, who works with animal/people life, could do something else, too.)

**(--After watching the episodes with him, I found that Tucker didn't have a gate - I don't think - and so, I took out that detail just now. I also originally had Ed and Al in Central in the first two chapters, but then decided to change it after this chapter, and now I just changed it back! How weird... But, I did just now add in Mustang being on the phone instead of in person, and added in Armstrong to make it more canon. The main thing that made me pick that time period was when I heard Ed and Al talking about looking up at the stars when they used to live in Risembool - and I thought, _'hey, in my story, they're looking at the stars... Maybe I should make it take place right here! It's after Scar's attack and before lab five...' _Like I said in the original notes, I wanted to have it take place earlier on in the anime, but then... I ended up having some reference of Scar's attack in a later chapter.)**


	8. Charades, Part Two

**Chapter Eight: Charades, Part Two**

"Well, there isn't much more that I can tell you then what you already know from reading my report. I couldn't make it work - the red water would could cause a tear in the dimensional fabric, but it was unstable and would only last a split second at a time. It's amazing that someone actually found a way to stabilize it," Tucker said and glanced toward Ed - the proof that it could work.

"Any idea of who it could have been?" Edward asked.

"Did you work with anyone besides the Tringum brothers?" Ed asked.

Tucker shook his head.

* * *

Tucker convinced them to stay the night, and they had dinner with him and his daughter - whom, Ed noticed, had grown in the past three years. Nina talked about her dog and her father and other things in her life.

"I'm gonna write mommy a letter after we're finished eating and I'm gonna tell her about you two visiting us," she said happily.

"My wife left me several years ago," Tucker explained. "She went to live with her parents."

"I'm sure she did," Ed said with a glare.

"Would you cut that out?!" Edward whispered. "Our universes might be different, remember?"

* * *

That night, after Edward went to sleep, Ed put on his clothes and got out of bed. _'I can't believe that Tucker could be any different in this dimension. He must have done _something_ to keep his funding and I'm going to figure out what,'_ Ed thought as he snuck around the dark house. He came to a partly opened door, light coming from the room behind it. The door squeaked as Ed opened it.

"Oh, hello, Ed. Anything I can help you with?" Tucker asked from inside, putting his pen down.

Ed walked inside the room as he said, "I know you have an evaluation every year, Tucker. That report may have gotten you by _one_ year, but what did you do the next? Or the one after that?" Ed asked with narrowed eyes.

"I have no idea what mean," Tucker said. "Did I do something in your dimension that I shouldn't have done...?"

"Is your wife _really_ with her parents, Tucker? Time for _you_ to stop the charade, this time. You may have fooled the other version of me, but I _know_ you."

Tucker smirked as he got up from his chair. "You're a smart boy, Edward. Okay, I admit it - I turned my wife into a talking chimera, and I turned Fletcher Tringum into one as well."

Edward widened his eyes in surprise. That wasn't what he had thought. "But... Alexander..."

"I didn't have to use my dog. There was a stray cat that came by my house one day... Fletcher took quite a liking to it, so I used it for the transmutation."

"What about Russell? There's no way he would have let you do that to his little brother!" Ed said.

"He didn't have a choice in the matter. And with a little contact of that red water we were working with, he was gone. I passed off our work as my own, saying that I found those odd properties and only investigated them farther after the brothers left. Of course, they didn't have any objections."

"You monster!" Ed yelled. "You may not have used Nina in _this_ dimension,"

"Nina?" Tucker uttered, slightly surprised he had to resort to that in Ed's dimension.

"but you're not any better than the Tucker in _mine_!"

"And what are you going to do about it?" Tucker asked with a slight smile. "This year's exam is coming up and I haven't made a talking chimera for quite some time now... No one would miss you, you know. - All I'd have to do is tell your double that I found a way to send you back to your own dimension."

Ed widened his eyes. Tucker had a point. The madman could do anything he wanted with him. That's probably why he had been so ready to talk. Tucker grabbed Ed's arm - the metal one - and Ed smirked as he threw the man off of him.

"Wha...?" Tucker said in surprise.

"Unlike the _other_ me, I have an automail arm," Ed said. He transformed it into a blade, to Tucker's surprise, and pinned him to the wall. "Now... Tell me who perfected the dimensional portal," Ed demanded, holding the blade by Tucker's throat.

"I told you already! - I don't know!" Tucker cried.

"I'm sure you must have _some_ idea..." Ed said. "Does this jog your memory?" he asked and touched the man's throat with the cold metal.

"There might have been _one_ guy... Just please let me go!"

--End Chapter--

**My Original Chapter Notes (bold words are new):**

Did that sound T rated? Anyone surprised about Tucker? (Seems like you guys may have been, based on the reviews from the last chapter) He seemed like a good guy in the show, until what he did to Nina, so I'd think he'd act really nice in another dimension, too. (I just saw a episode with him in lab 5, and he seemed kind'a nice there, so maybe I made him too mean...) **(--Huh... I don't think I decided to change anything, but last chapter, I added in a "said with a smile". The only thing I changed in this chapter was add a little more about the room Tucker was in. He's supposed to be sitting at a table and I discovered that I didn't specifically say that - although I thought I had. I actually only added that he got up from a chair and put his pen down, but I figured that the table's obvious.)**

Well... Since I'm thinking that we don't know much at all about Scar until after they moved to Eastern, I'll change some things in the first chapter or two and make it Eastern where Mustang is... I think that'd work... **(--This is what I mentioned me having changed last chapter (Mustang and Ed were both in Central, then both in Eastern). And now, Mustang is in Eastern, but Ed isn't. So, I guess it's like a compromise between the previous two versions.)**

I saw my brother yesterday (after taking a train to Indianapolis and visiting a relative of my dad's - why I didn't put this chapter up sooner) and... He said earlier that he was going to transfer several FMA episodes to the computer so I could upload them to my flashdrive... He only did one of them (ep.22). I told him as I was leaving that I'd give him ten dollars a tape to record them for me with a VCR, before his dish thingy deleted them all. Hopefully he'll do that for me. **(--He finally did! He gave me two tapes! 32 episodes! I still haven't seen past 22, though, since I've been re-watching the first ones, but I'm looking forward to the new ones - and to see if my whole fanfic idea will fall apart... It shouldn't, though, since it's now taking place before the last episode I've seen. - The idea for the third - not started yet - fanfic in the trilogy, may end up falling apart, though, since it takes place after what I've seen... " And strangely, it would be the only one of the trilogy I actually thought much about before beginning to write.)**

Katty008 helped inspire some stuff for the next chapter. So, there's a little with Mustang, and a little about him believing Ed... I'm kind'a confused about some details for the next chapter, though. I saw that one episode my brother recorded for me, but only a very brief appearance was made by Mustang, so he's probably out of character... Scar might seem to be, too... (Heh, heh... Poor Ed. He's in trouble in the next chapter - I'll try putting it up tomorrow) **(--I wrote Mustang so plainly that he could be any character and be in character. " But, back in the second chapter, I did change Hughes to not be so in-your-face-with-Elicia because I've found him to be a very serious character in the series when not around people he knows well. I was somewhat surprised by that, when watching the episodes over again...)**


	9. The Stakeout

**Chapter Nine: The Stakeout**

Edward waited outside a phone both as Ed made a call. He didn't listen in as Ed talked.

"I think you'd like to know that Shou Tucker has been making his talking chimeras by mixing humans with animals. He used his wife and a boy by the name of Fletcher Tringum. He also killed Fletcher's older brother. ...I have a sinking feeling that he'll use his own daughter in the future if he isn't stopped. Oh, and one more thing, Mustang. I'm on my way to see you." Ed hung up the phone.

"Did you tell them we were coming?" Edward asked.

"Yeah. They'll be expecting us, so we should get in pretty easily," Ed said. He didn't tell his double about last night or about what else he called about.

When they reached the place, they were let in when Ed told his name, by Mustang's orders.

"Hey, Mustang, know anything about this guy?" Ed asked after entering Mustang's office. Ed held up a paper with a name on it.

"Clay Jonston... He used to be a State Alchemist, until he snapped during the Ishbal Rebellion. We've been looking for him for quite some time now... But it's getting more urgent that we find him, because we believe he could have something to do with those recent murders at Central..." Mustang said.

"Is that why you believed me so easily when I told you I was from another dimension?! Why you let me look at Tucker's research?! Because you knew I'd find this guy for you?!" Ed asked angrily.

"How could I know that he was involved?" Mustang asked.

"Well, can you tell us anything about the case?" Edward asked.

"So you're this world's version of him..." Mustang said thoughtfully as he looked toward Edward. "I thought you'd be the same height."

"We _are_!" Ed yelled.

Mustang ignored Ed and answered Edward with, "We believe your man is working with a partner. The victims are found with their brains blown up, from the inside, out,"

"Scar..." Ed said in realization.

"and all of their valuables are taken. Several victims are State Alchemists, but we've found some victims in the same condition in banks after robberies have taken place."

"I thought Scar was seen in Eastern last."

Mustang shook his head. "No. He's still in Central."

"But... I thought Scar followed when everyone moved over here..."

"Moved over here...? Heh. I guess that could have been a possibility, if the intended victims were known to be State Alchemists."

"Oh... The bank robberies. Well, consider this a lead: Scar is only after State Alchemists. I guess Jonston must be after money, and that's why they're robbing banks. They must have some type of deal..." Ed said.

"Is there a way we can set a trap for them?" Edward asked.

* * *

"This is boring!" Edward exclaimed.

Ed woke with a start. "They said this bank was the best lead they had. They robbed every other big bank in Central."

"Can't we do something besides wait, though?" Edward asked with a frown.

Ed shrugged. He felt as though he was about to fall asleep again, but he tried to stay awake. Suddenly, they heard an alarm. Looking toward the bank, they saw two men running out of the building - one carrying a bag. "That's them!" Ed exclaimed, seeing the scar on the taller one's face. Both Eds jumped to their feet and ran after the men.

Edward had dropped a walkie-talkie when he stood. "Fullmetal?" a voice said over the walkie-talky. "Ed! - Are you two awake?! We just got word that the bank's alarm went off! You were supposed to tell us! ...You're not going after them yourselves, are you?!"

Ed and Edward followed for quite some time, and after turning one tight corner, they bumped into the two men they were following, not realizing that they had stopped. Both Eds were knocked to the ground from the collision.

"I believe you boys have some explaining to do..." one man said with a smirk as he stood over the boys. He and his partner had planned this when they realized they were being followed.

"You're _him_!" Ed said, having caught a glimpse of that face when he had followed the man into this dimension. "You're Jonston, aren't you?!"

Jonston widened his eyes slightly, recognizing Ed. "It's that kid I told you about!" Jonston told Scar as he pointed at Ed. "Who _are_ you?!"

"The name's Edward Elric - but it's the Fullmetal Alchemist, to you," Ed sneered at them.

_'This kid's an alchemist? But why didn't I know that?'_ Scar thought. He glanced at his tattooed arm, wondering what it meant. _'I usually know a State Alchemist when I see one.'_

"And who's he?" Jonston asked, pointing toward Edward. "Your twin or something?"

"Or something," Ed replied.

"If you're a State Alchemist, I must kill you," Scar stated, shoving Jonston out of his way.

"Ed, run!" Edward yelled with wide eyes. It was the first thing he had said since they ran into the men. He was scared _stiff_ - these guys were murderers. And by the looks of them, they could easily snap his and his double's bodies in two. Yet, the other him didn't seem afraid of them. ...Why? Was this just an average day for him as a State Alchemist?

"I'm not running away!" Ed snapped at his other self. He picked himself up and looked toward the approaching Ishbalan man. He clapped and touched his automail arm. A blade jutted out from his sleeve.

"Alchemy without a transmutation circle?!" Edward asked in amazement. No one seemed to notice the sentence.

"This is for Nina!" Ed said as he rushed toward Scar. (Of course, Scar hadn't killed Nina in this dimension, but Ed didn't think about that.) Scar dodged the attack and grabbed Ed's arm. Ed watched in horror as metal shards rained to the ground. _'I just had that fixed!' _he thought. He felt something on his forehead and looked up to realize that it was Scar's hand.

--End Chapter--

**My original chapter notes (bold words are new):**

Okay, well, that's the end of the story. Hope you guys liked it. (watches your expressions, then bursts out laughing) You know I can't kill him off, right? He's the star! (but... I guess I could kill his double...) **(--Heh... Guess any new readers won't fall for that. I'm so bad at jokes, by the way... )**

Well, I hope Scar can do that to Ed's arm... I can't remember. I know Ed can't defeat him, though. **(--Yep. Scar can do that. I reworded it just slightly, but it means the same thing. I guess I remembered more about that episode Scar does do that than I thought I did. It must have been very much inspired by it. Oh, and I added in that about Nina, after seeing that episode where Ed's told that Scar was the one to kill Nina. Ed then said he was ready to take Scar on. - And then he didn't in lab five. But, that's as far as I've gotten in the anime, so... Oh, and around the time that he finds out that Scar did that to Nina, Ed also thought about Mustang's search for his father four years ago, if I remember right. - I mentioned that earlier, if you remember...)**

I made up Clay Jonston, by the way. I just took my last name and changed a few letters... I don't know where the first name of Clay came from, though. Roy first came to mind, but we already have a Roy, and then I thought of Clay - I guess I heard it on TV before. I wonder what Jonston's code name would have been... I donno what he really does, yet... **(--And now that I do, I'm halfway tempted to change his talking about both arrays opening the portal, to just one of them, but I don't think I will.)**

I'm not sure how often I'll be updating anymore, because my classes start this Tuesday. Last year, I didn't have very much free time at all. This fic seems to be able to be written quite a bit quicker than the other ones I've done, though... It might take a little time to figure out how everything can tie together, though. **(--Heh. I was updating this every day, I think. But, after classes started, I'd do it every other day, or every three days or something. Still quick, though.)**


	10. Busted

**Chapter Ten: Busted**

"Hey, wait big guy," Jonston said. "We need to get some answers from this kid before you blow up his brains!" Scar took his hand off Ed's forehead, but didn't seem too happy about it.

"I'm not telling you _anything_ until after you answer a few questions of my own! And first, I want to know what you two are up to," Ed said.

"You're in no position to make demands, kid," Jonston stated.

"Then you'll just have to kill me - but I guarantee that you won't find anything out _that_ way."

"Don't push us!" Jonston sneered. After calming down, he said, "You want to know what we're doing? Fine. This guy wants revenge, and I'm after money."

"I'm not after _revenge_," Scar told Jonston without turning to look at him. "I'm ridding the world of evil by destroying those who perform ungodly acts."

"Where does Tucker and that dimensional portal come into this?!" Ed demanded.

"Simple. When I told the big guy here," Jonston said and pointed toward Scar with his thumb, "that there's thousands of dimensions full of State Alchemists, he decided that _all_ of them deserve to die. But, I'm the only one who can make the portal work. And Tucker's the only one who _knows_ how the portal works. Tucker needs the ingredients, which costs money, and in return for helping us, my buddy doesn't kill him. After Tucker buys his supplies, I get all the money that's left over. I also get to take money from other dimensions, as well as get the satisfaction of seeing those dogs destroyed. It's a win-win situation," Jonston said with a grin.

"Why do you need Tucker? Can't you make a portal whenever you want, already?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, these two transmutation circles allow me to open the portal," Jonston said and held up his tattooed palms for Ed to see. "But, I can't take my buddy with me into other dimensions, so Tucker's still needed in order to perfect the formula. Besides... I only have so much of that formula in my veins. Some gets used up every time I make a portal. - Now it's _your_ turn, kid. See... I thought I was the only one who could go through those portals, so how did _you_ do it?"

"How should _I_ know? I didn't know a thing about _any_ of this until you came along!" Ed shouted.

"Fine! I guess we'll just have to take you apart piece-by-piece until we can figure it out!" Jonston yelled at the teen.

"Oh no you won't!" Edward yelled as he jumped into the air and kicked Jonston, who fell onto Scar. He then took Ed by his remaining arm and ran. Soon after, they bumped into two officers.

"_There_ you two are!" Ross said. "You weren't supposed to go after those men by yourselves! If anything happened to you, we could have lost our jobs!"

"Calm down. We're fine," Ed told her.

Ross widened her eyes. "You're arm..."

Ed glanced at the jacket sleeve hanging at his side. _'At least this time, Al wasn't hurt...'_ Ed thought as he remembered the encounter with Scar in his own dimension and how Al's side was destroyed, as well as his arm. "It was only automail - it can be fixed. Besides, we learned a few useful things."

After officers searched the area for the two men and found nothing, Ed and Edward returned to the alley where they had the confrontation. Edward drew a transmutation circle on the ground, around the metal shards, and fixed Ed's arm.

Ed grinned as he made a fist to test the arm. _'Even though the Rockbells may not have minded in this dimension, I'm glad I don't have to bother them so soon after just getting it replaced.'_

* * *

"I guess we need to go back to Tucker's," Edward said as he stood. "At least we're already in Central, so we don't have to take another train."

"He may not be at home anymore..."

"Huh? What'd you do," Edward asked accusingly.

"Well... Last night, I kind'a found out that our dimensions aren't as different as you thought they were..." Ed said sheepishly. "And I _had_ to alert the military..."

Edward punched Ed in the jaw and the alchemist fell onto the street. "_That's_ for not telling me before now!" Edward said angrily. "Hmph. You're not so tough." He then went to find some ice for his aching hand.

* * *

"Wake up." Ed opened his eyes to see Edward standing over him. It looked like they were at Central Headquarters, based on the ceiling. "Tucker's under house arrest at the moment. Let's get over there and have a talk with him."

"You _punched _me!" Ed said in amazement. "Why in the world did you punch me?!"

"Because you didn't let me know about Tucker!" Edward said defensively. Ed glared at him for a few seconds. "Here," Edward said as he tossed his twin the bag of ice he had been using for his hand.

"Don't punch me ever again!" Ed shouted as he jumped to his feet. Edward dodged his double's metal arm with a grin, but then Ed successfully punched him with his other arm.

--End Chapter--

**My original chapter notes:**

Hee, hee... I made them punch each other. **(--I'm so easily amused... Well, I did change the scenes a little bit at the end of this. There was originally a scene change right before "I guess we need to go back to Tucker's", but then I thought that it would make just as much sense if it happened right there. I originally wanted it to happen in the same place as the following scene, but awhile before it. Now, I have mentioned where they are in the last scene, and the preceding scene has already been established. So now they're not just standing in a blur, but are actually **_**somewhere**_**. I thought about mentioning that Ed's on a couch, too, but ended up not mentioning that. - He was originally on the floor, at the same place he was knocked out.)**

**(--I also added in that small paragraph beginning with "Ed grinned as he made a fist to test the arm." - Mostly to help establish the time - the thoughts thought after that sentence. I do wonder why no one could repair Ed's arm in the anime, though, and thought about changing it in this chapter, but thought it'd be stupid to, and instead even added that sentence.)**

Well... I hope this chapter made sense. Say... Of all of my fanfictions, this one has the second highest amount of people on story alert. I have 41 story alerts for my first and largest Yu-Gi-Oh! Fanfic (which has 27 chapters), 12 for this story **(--That number dropped by two after I posted this, making it equal to the story alerts for the sequel - which wasn't even thought of until the end of this story)**, and 9 for my Avatar story (which has 12 chapters).

(I couldn't think of a title for this chapter. I just picked one off the top of my head just now... hope it works.)


	11. Fateful Revelations

**Chapter Eleven: Fateful Revelations**

"Would you stop staring at my face?!" Ed demanded.

"Where did they take Nina?" Tucker pleaded. He decided not to ask why the two of them had almost identical swollen areas on their cheeks - Ed's left cheek, Edward's right. Both boys were glaring at him because of his staring.

"Somewhere safe. It was for her own good, anyway. If they didn't take her away from you, you would have used her in one of your experiments," Ed said accusingly.

"You don't know that! Don't you see that she was all the family I had left?!"

"This isn't why we came!" Edward yelled at the two of them. They turned to look at him as he said, "Tucker, we want to know more about that stuff that makes dimensional portals. We know you were making it for a guy named Jonston."

"He said he was the only one that could go through those portals, but _I_ can, too," Ed said.

"So, take us to your stash," Edward said.

"And what's in it for me?" Tucker asked the two of them with a grin. He hoped they could pull some strings and get him off the hook.

"If you take us to the substance... I won't kill you," Ed said as he formed a blade.

"Wha?" Edward uttered in surprise. _'He'll _kill_ him?'_

Tucker's eyes widened. Would he do it? He seemed serious that night, but... "Would you _really_ kill me, Edward...? A human being, just like yourself?"

It was Ed's turn to be surprised. _'Tucker's right... I don't think I can. Human life is too special...'_

"Tell me... That automail arm... You performed some type of human transmutation, didn't you? See? We have both done things we shouldn't have..."

"You slime!" Ed snarled. "Don't _ever_ compare us! I only did what I did to _save _life, not destroy it!"

"_Destroy_ life?" Tucker said with a chuckle. "Why, I never _killed_ anyone. I just transform life into new forms."

"Err... You're the exact same as the Tucker _I_ knew. Don't you remember your wife's last words?! It's a living hell for them!"

"I'm truly sorry for that, but I did it in the name of science..."

"Shh! I hear something!" Edward said as he glanced toward one of the walls.

"Huh?" Ed asked, turning to look at the wall, himself. At that moment, there was an explosion and the wall blew out, sending dust and chunks of drywall into the room. The two Eds covered their mouths and squinted their eyes as they waited to see what was going on.

"You broke our deal, Tucker... You ratted us out, and now you're going to pay," Jonston's voice said from the adjoining room. As the smoke cleared, the man noticed the two teens. "What the?! - What are you two doing here?!"

"Sewing Life Alchemist, your time has come..." Scar said as he approached Tucker.

"N-No! I didn't fix the formula yet! You _need_ me!" Tucker pleaded as he backed against a wall.

"Not anymore..." The Ishbalan said. He remembered what was said yesterday.

_"And who's he? Your twin or something?"_

_"Or something."_

"I now realize that I am only responsible for my own dimension. - Just as there are other versions of him, there are other versions of me," Scar said, referring to Ed and Edward. "My others are in charge of their worlds, and I am in charge of mine and mine only."

"Aahhhh!"

The two Eds and Jonston stopped fighting at the scream, watching as Tucker fell to the floor with a light thud - only heard because, otherwise, the room was deathly quiet - and the dust on the floor slowly rose up around Tucker, enveloping him.

"Now..." Scar said as he turned around. Ed closed his eyes, expecting the worst, but Scar walked past Ed. "The Transparent Alchemist - it's time to pay for your sins."

"Wha?! Hey! We had a deal!"

"You are no longer necessary," Scar said as he walked toward Jonston.

"But you can't complete your mission without me! The only reason you were able to kill so many is because of my alchemy! Without me, they would know you were coming!"

"_Let_ them know their fate before it befalls them. They can't escape me, just as _you_ can't," Scar said. He blew out the wall behind him with his arm and Jonston had to shield his eyes from the flying debris.

As the smoke began to clear, Jonston widened his eyes in horror. He could see beakers of red liquid, the containers now broken, and his precious formula dripping onto and being absorbed by the carpet.

--End Chapter--

**My original chapter notes:**

Huh... This turned out interesting, didn't it? Ed may return to his dimension sooner than I first thought. Kind'a don't like the name I gave Jonston, but it was the only thing I could find... Still don't know exactly what he does, but I may figure it out while writing the next chapter.

Well, I probably should have done homework instead of write this today, but... It didn't take _too_ long.

Eh... I remembered I wanted to say something about their cheeks in this chapter so I quickly added a line or two, just a second ago...


	12. The Way Home

**Chapter Twelve: The Way Home**

"No!" Ed cried hysterically. That was his way back to Al - back to everything he knew.

"Would you quit?! Look - Jonston said he can store that stuff, right? So he may still have a little left in his body. If you want to get home, you should be trying to save him!"

Ed glanced toward the scene to watch as Scar approached Jonston. The circle on Jonston's left palm lit up as he lifted his hand toward Scar. Scar's eyes seemed to light up for a second and he stopped walking.

"This is _your_ universe - tell me what just happened," Ed said.

"How should I know?!" Edward demanded.

"I'll find you eventually," Scar said as Jonston began to slowly back away.

Edward widened his eyes. "Wait, I think I get it! Scar can't see Jonston. He used alchemy to make himself appear invisible to Scar."

"I guess that could explain how Mustang knew Jonston was behind those robberies... There must have been witnesses who have had their eyes altered. - He could have used that ability to help people with eye problems, but instead, he turned to a life of crime!" Ed said.

Scar began to notice footprints in the dust on the floor - the dust that had settled there after the walls were blown out. He watched as another footprint formed. "There you are," he said as he rushed toward the footprints.

Ed clapped and touched the floor. "You're not going to take away my only chance at getting home," Ed muttered. A wall began to rise up from the ground, but Scar was able to jump over it before it rose too high. He landed on top of Jonston and felt around until he found the man's head.

Ed kicked the Isbellan man as he said, "Why don't you go after _me_ first?!"

"You are not mine to kill," Scar replied. _'That was why I didn't know you were a State Alchemist until you told me,'_ he thought. Scar activated his arm and killed Jonston. He then left the room with the two Eds unsure of what they could possibly do now.

"...Is there enough of that formula left in the beakers?" Edward asked as he glanced toward the glasses in the next room. Small amounts of red liquid was still in the bottoms of some containers, but not much.

"...I don't know," Ed answered after turning his head to look. After a second, his eyes lit up. He walked into the room and bent down next to the soaked floor as he said, "But maybe I could activate the formula where it is and form a portal on the floor. But, how would I know it leads to the right dimension?"

"Jonston must have had a way to do it. Maybe if you imagine the world you want to go to, the portal will form to _that_ world. I mean, maybe Jonston just opened a random portal when he entered your dimension, but he thought about this world when coming back."

"Well, it's worth a try," Ed said. He clapped and put his hands on the floor. The red liquid in the carpet glowed for a split second, but stopped.

"It didn't work?!" Edward asked in surprise.

"Maybe I should try again..." Ed said.

"Let me help! With both of us together, it might work!" Edward said as he ran toward Ed.

"Hey, wait!" Ed yelled when he realized that Edward was going to step in the formula.

Edward gasped as he stepped on the wet carpet. The formula started to lift out of the carpet and crawl up his legs. He started screaming as it permeated his body.

Ed ran toward Edward, saying, "You idiot! We don't know what this stuff might do to a person! Jonston took a big risk with it!" As Ed stepped onto the wet area of the floor, the red substance began to crawl up his legs as well.

Ed's vision started blurring as he screamed from the feeling of the red substance invading his bloodstream. Everything he saw started turning light pink. His eyes and very other part of his body started burning, but he couldn't move. His thoughts turned to Al. He wanted to see his brother again, and wanted to keep his promise to him - his promise to get him his body back. He wanted to see Winry again, and Mustang, and Hawkeye, and everyone else - and not people who look and act like them, but the real them - _his_ world's them. As he thought about those things, he started to feel numb. Ed then started thinking about the other version of him. He wondered if he would be okay. He wanted to know if Edward would make it through this and be with his mother and brother. Ed knew that Al and his mother would be heartbroken if Edward died, and he didn't want that to happen. It seems like he had been stuck in this red goo for days, but he can't do anything except think. He began to wonder if this world would have been the same as his if Edward's mother had died, like his had. Edward seemed to think their worlds were more different than that, but most things seemed to tie together. Edward didn't have any automail and Al was still flesh and blood, since they didn't try to resurrect their mother. The Tringum brothers worked with Tucker, since Russell didn't have the Fullmetal Alchemist to impersonate, and Tucker didn't turn Nina into a talking chimera because he wasn't around to encourage him, and because the Tringum brothers and him found a unique property of red water. But what about Jonston? He was the only thing that didn't fit...

* * *

"Ed! I'm so glad I found you!"

"Ugh..." he uttered as he woke. His head throbbed painfully.

"I can't believe it took us over three days to find you, brother!"

"Three days, huh?" he asked. He glanced around to see that he was in an alley.

--The End--

**My original chapter notes:**

Well... That's it.

But... I did think of more for the story, it's just that I thought it would be better as a sequel. Hee, hee... I don't really know what the sequel will be about, yet, but I have an interesting beginning... **(--What I mean is that I had written more to this chapter when first writing it, but then cut and pasted it to a new document to use it for the beginning of the sequel)**

Um... I'm not sure if it's only been three days or longer... Anyone know how long it would take to ride a train from Ed's town to Eastern or Central, or between Eastern and Central? If it takes quite a lot of time, it would be more like five days, instead of three. **(--I think it may take awhile to get to Eastern from Risembool, because of all that happened on the way to Risembool in the anime when Ed went to get repaired... But, I still don't know for sure and am saying that it didn't take more than a few hours for any of the trips mentioned in my story) **

Ack! I had thought of a really good title for the sequel, and I can't remember it. So... I guess I'll call it... Uh... "The Other Side of Me" (that was the best one I could think of... I wish I could have remembered the much better one, though...) **(--After several chapters, I changed the title to "Living In The Mirror" - but I never thought of the very first title I wanted for it.)**

Look it up. I have the first chapter done.

**(--Extra notes: From the very first chapter, I had thought I'd end this story as it being nothing but a dream that Ed had after that night under the stars, thinking about what could have been. - And then after getting all those plot ideas and things coming together, I wondered if it was possible to make it anything more than a dream. Well... You'd just have to find out in the sequel.)**


End file.
